Luo Nanshan had underestimated the person pulling the strings behind the scenes.
The Nine Odysseys cultivators in the Spirit Nidus had messaged their families at a predetermined time, and there were even people in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse who were secretly cooperating with them. Ultimately, the situation outside the Skyward Gate became known to the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, and the cultivators from the Spirit Nidus launched an attack. The Luo family was then forced to defend the Skyward Gate while also trying to deal with the pressure from various families in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. They had ultimately failed, and the family had been destroyed and killed.
Luo Nanshan had died in battle when a large number of cultivators from the Spirit Nidus stormed the Skyward Gate. That had drawn the attention of Greater Sancte Awe Gate, who had sealed off the Skyward Gate in response. That completely severed the connection between the Nine Odysseys Megaverse and the Spirit Nidus.
But it had merely severed the connection. It could not settle the Spirit Nidus’s hatred of the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. Of course, handling the matter was also no longer the Luo family’s concern. Luo Ning received no answer from any of his calls. All he knew was that Luo Nanshan was dead and that the Luo family had fallen. He could not return to the North Domain. If he did, he would certainly face assassinations from the families whose members had been sealed outside the Skyward Gate, as well as anyone whom the Luo family had previously offended.
The man’s only option was to return to the Scion Spire. That was the only place that could protect him.
Lu Yin took out his own communication device and made a call. He reached out to Ling Lan, the number two of the Spirit Treasure Guild.
The woman had once used Lu Yin’s name to contact the Luo family, hoping that the Spirit Treasure Guild would be allowed to enter the Spirit Nidus and search for spirit veils. Lu Yin did not know if she had ever done so, but if so, then Ling Lan should be very familiar with everything that had occurred at the Skyward Gate.
Ling Lan’s beautiful face appeared on the display, though she looked exhausted.
“Mr. Lu, you’re finally back.”
Lu Yin looked at Ling Lan. “You know where I went?”
Ling Lan gave a bitter smile. “I didn’t before, but your disappearance perfectly matches the Seventh Night Pillar’s journey. The fact that you called me just now told me where you went.”
“What happened at the Skyward Gate?”
This question caused Ling Lan to look both bitter and fearful. “The Spirit Nidus has changed. The Luo family failed to hold onto the Skyward Gate, and it was breached. Before that, many cultivators from the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, who should have died long ago, appeared outside the gate. Apparently, they’d been controlled by the Spirit Nidus for a long time. The Luo family kept them out, which led to their downfall. Still, the worst part is that Netherfiends has appeared.”
Lu Yin narrowed his eyes. “Netherfiends?”
Ling Lan nodded, her expression heavy. “They are a group of cultivators who are considered forbidden in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse. While they look human, they are not truly alive. They’re collectively referred to as ‘Netherfiends.’ Nobody expected the attack on the Skyward Gate to bring them out. Before this, I thought that Netherfiends was nothing more than a legend that would never appear again.”
Ling Lan did not know that Netherfiends had been controlling Ling Kui. That was something that only Deathmound and Lu Yin were privy to.
“Netherfiends’s appearance changed everything. Now, the North Domain’s Skyward Gate and its surroundings are all in chaos. Greater Sancte Awe Gate has sealed the Skyward Gate, so there’s no way for the Spirit Nidus to get in. At present, the Rift of Suffering is standing guard inside the gate while they conduct a massive search throughout the North Domain for Netherfiends. Fortunately, our Spirit Treasure Guild wasn’t in the North Domain at that time. The consequences would’ve been unimaginable.”
Lu Yin looked towards the North Domain. Netherfiends, Yong Heng... Yong Heng really was behind everything. How else could Netherfiends have been lured out there?
Yong Heng had betrayed both humanity and Netherfiends.
“Did people from the Spirit Nidus actually attack the Skyward Gate?”
“They did. If not, Greater Sancte Awe Gate would not have been alerted.”
Lu Yin exhaled. Yong Heng, you’re here now, aren’t you?
When Ling Lan saw that Lu Yin was looking in the North Domain’s direction, Ling Lan quietly asked, “Mr. Lu, what’s your impression of the situation in the Spirit Nidus?”
Lu Yin answered flatly, “I don’t know.”
Ling Lan’s eyes flickered. You don’t know? Is that even possible?
The Seventh Night Pillar had only just arrived, and Lu Yin had immediately contacted Ling Lan. It was clear that he had heard about what had happened at the Skyward Gate, which suggested that he had learned about it very quickly.
Where had he received that information? The Luo family? That was not likely. They were already gone.
Lu Yin suddenly looked back at Ling Lan. “Your Spirit Treasure Guild is incredibly lucky. You already had a way to access the Spirit Nidus, and yet you dragged things out for so long that you never went.”
Ling Lan quickly said, “Thanks to your name, the Luo family agreed to let us enter the Spirit Nidus, but by that time, the Skyward Gate had already been blocked by Spirit Nidus cultivators, which is why we didn’t go.”
“Did the Luo family tell you about that?”
Ling Lan froze, not knowing how to respond.
There was no doubt that the Luo family would have kept the information regarding the Spirit Nidus gathering outside the Skyward Gate hidden. How could they have ever shared that knowledge with the Spirit Treasure Guild? The company was desperate to acquire more spirit veils, and the Luo family had already agreed to give them access to the Spirit Nidus, so how could the company have not sent people to the North Domain? Despite that, the Spirit Treasure Guild had been completely unaffected by the incident. The only possible answer was that they had learned of the upheaval at the Skyward Gate through other channels.
The Jue family secretly owns the Spirit Treasure Guild. Jue family, Yu family... right, Yu Xing.
“Did the Yu family help protect the Skyward Gate?” Lu Yin suddenly asked.
Ling Lan’s eyes flared slightly, though she quickly tried to hide her reaction. Still, that momentary burst of panic and disbelief allowed Lu Yin to see right through her.
The Yu family really had participated. That was perfectly logical. The Luo family had merely been standing guard at the Skyward Gate, whereas the turmoil in the Spirit Nidus would affect the Yu family more than any other faction in the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, due to the fact that Yu Xing ruled the Wisdom Domain. That region was said to be an era ahead of the rest of the Spirit Nidus, and they had been tasked with guiding the megaverse along the path that the Nine Odysseys Megaverse desired.
Because of that, as soon as things went awry in the Spirit Nidus, the first group to be blamed was the Yu family.
If the Yu family had been involved, then there was no way that the Jue family would not know. That would have stopped the Spirit Treasure Guild from sending any of their people to the North Domain and completely avoid all the fallout from the incident. Everything fit together perfectly.
Ling Lan had no idea that Lu Yin was already aware that the Jue family owned her company. If she did, she would not have been that startled.
After ending the call, Lu Yin started considering exactly what Yong Heng and Master Qing Cao’s goal could be.
If they had simply wanted to enter the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, then why make such a big scene?
As he contemplated the situation, those who had returned with the Seventh Night Pillar started gradually learning of the recent upheaval in the North Domain. The Skyward Gate had been breached, and the Spirit Nidus was essentially rebelling. Many looked over at Lu Yin.
Lu Yin might be from the Tianyuan Megaverse, but he had entered the Nine Odysseys Megaverse from the Spirit Nidus. Could he have anything to do with all that had happened?
Jing Lian and Wei Heng approached Lu Yin simultaneously as they exchanged glances. Neither gave any thought to the situation in the Spirit Nidus. They were both trying to recruit Lu Yin for their own master.
Before either man could speak, Lu Yin’s communication device vibrated. He answered, and Jue Rou’s face appeared on the display.
Lu Yin had expected to receive a call from Jue Qing, so Jue Rou was a surprise.
“Thank goodness, you’re finally back! Something huge has happened! The Spirit Nidus attacked the Skyward Gate...”
Lu Yin rubbed his temples. “Alright, I know about that. Is that the only reason you called me?”
“Of course not! Do you think that this doesn’t concern you? I’m calling you because you’re in big trouble.” Jue Rou glared at Lu Yin. Without waiting for him to ask what she was talking about, her expression turned grave as she continued to say, “Someone made a proposal to Lesser Sancte Xing Fan to reset the Tianyuan Megaverse and then move all the cultivators currently in the Spirit Nidus, as well as the next generation, there. That way, everyone in the Spirit Nidus who knows the truth won’t be able to influence the Nine Odysseys Megaverse, nor will they be able to affect the Spirit Nidus’s future generations. At the same time, people will be able to see another reset, while the Tianyuan Megaverse’s hostility towards the Nine Odysseys Megaverse will be erased.”
Lu Yin’s face fell completely, and terrifying killing intent flickered across his eyes. Jing Lian and Wei Heng both instantly sensed it, and they felt as if the entire universe had just frozen over. Instinctively, they both pulled back.